Electrically powered toys are well known in the art and have taken a virtually endless variety of forms and functions. For example, toy vehicles having internal electrically powered motor drive apparatus are well known in the art and available in virtually an endless array of shapes and sizes. Such toy vehicles have included remote control apparatus which responds to signals provided by a remote transmitter to control the operation of the toy vehicle. Sound producing and talking toys as well as music producing toys are also extremely well known and found in a variety of forms and configurations. Such toys have included battery-powered music and speech apparatus as well as toys directed toward producing sound effects such as animal sounds or the like. Another type of electrically powered toy involves the provision of dolls or toy figures which have articulated appendages and body components and which include battery-powered motor drive apparatus for moving articulated appendages and torso components. Such dolls and toy figures have been provided which perform activities such as skating, dancing, walking, crawling, crying, etc. and have become commonplace in the art. In addition, other electrically responsive toys have been provided such as lighted implements or the like.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,413 issued to Brown sets forth a LEVITATION TOY AND METHOD OF OPERATION THEREOF in which electrostatically charged components of the same polarity comprising a charged tube or wand for launching into and maintaining levitation or flight of any selected similarly charged levitatable objects. In one embodiment shown, an elongated cylindrical rod is charged along with a levitatable football-shaped object to the same polarity of charge causing the football to levitate as the wand is placed beneath it. In other embodiments, two-dimensional objects are similarly charged and levitated.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,107 issued to DeNittis sets forth a SOUNDBOX DEVICE having a generally spherical container provided on its surface with graphic fields associated with respective contacts connected to a microprocessor within the container. The soundbox also includes a loud speaker and circuitry which, upon pressing one of the fields, generates a sound sequence representing the geographic depiction of that field.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,511 issued to Maki sets forth STUFFED TOYS WITH HEAT RESPONSIVE INFRARED RADIATION useful as ornaments, mascots or the like in which a filler is sealed into a bag-like body comprising a laminant wherein a pliable sheet having a far infrared radiation layer on one surface thereof is superposed to an inner side of a cover sheet with the far infrared radiation layer faced to the side of the cover sheet. The object is to provide a stuffed toy which due to the far infrared heating characteristic produces a deeply penetrating warming of the user.
German Patent 2,238,014 issued to Mizoule sets forth an electronic remote-controlled toy such as a doll or tank which includes a radio receiver and small electric motor together with a battery power source. Control is exercised by the electrostatic field from a charged rod of synthetic plastic held in the hand of the operator. Thus, the toy or the like responds to the waving of the wand near the toy.
U.S. Pat. No. 413,058 issued to Hirsch sets forth an ELECTRICAL TOY in which a variety of thin flexible objects of various shape are individually supported upon a support base. The objects are formed of a material which readily becomes statically charged and undergoes movement once they are charged in response to another statically charged object moving closely thereby.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,748 issued to Allen, et al. sets forth an ELECTROSTATICALLY ENHANCED GAME for video arcade or the like including an electrostatic generator for generating a high voltage low current electrostatic charge. An electrode coupled to the generator provides an electrostatic charge to the player while control circuitry responsive to a control signal from the game actuate the electrostatic generator to provide the electrostatic charge to the player upon the occurrence of a predetermined game event.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,393 issued to Holubka sets forth a CROSSLINKABLE COMPOSITION COMPRISING AMINOEPOXY RESIN-III which comprises certain diene functional blocked dieneophile functional aminoepoxy resin which is self-crosslinkable at elevated cure temperature. The crosslinkable composition of matter is useful in coating and other applications especially solvent base primer coating compositions on cathodic electrocoating compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,550 issued to Shimizu, et al. sets forth a PROCESS FOR PREPARING MOLDED PRODUCT OF THERMOCHROMIC POLYVINYL CHLORIDE characterized by incorporating a thermochromic particulate material into a vinyl chloride plastisol comprising a vinyl chloride resin, plasticizer, stabilizer, lubricant and filler and molding the resulting mixture.
While the foregoing described prior art has provided amusing and entertaining toys and has enjoyed various measures of commercial success, there remains nonetheless a need in the art for evermore interesting and improved dolls and toy figures having electrically interacting components and apparatus.